Biasi boiler - repair or replace?

[Mottie]

My Mum moved into a bungalow 7 years ago. It had a Biasi combi boiler already fitted. Don’t know how old as it was a repossession. I was talking to a plumber customer of mine at the time and he said that they were the cheaper end of the boiler range. They took out a service and maintenance contract with British Gas and it was a couple of months before they came round t check it out and they wanted a lot of money before they would take it on! Can’t remember exactly what it was but it included things like fitting a guard over the flue and fitting some kind of electric heating element in the condensate pipe. I told them to get lost and they paid back the monthly payments my parents had made. They ended up getting it serviced by a local company. All was fine until about 4 years ago when it kept losing pressure through the overflow pipe. Turned out they needed a new pressure vessel (I think) and it’s been fine since. She gets it serviced every year by her cleaners son! He is a British Gas fitter though. Anyway, I went round today and I didn’t walk into the usual furnace, it was just moderately warm. She said she couldn’t get it to go above 20°. I checked and the pressure was just above 3 bar so I let some out via a rad bleed valve and the rads got too hot to touch however it quickly got to 3 bar again so I let some more pressure out. I checked outside and it was dripping slowly from the overflow pipe again. It was working when I left but she said she’d get the cleaners son, the BG man in to check it. She does like her heat.
My question is this: Due to the unknown age of the boiler and it’s past history together with the fact that I was told it was the cheaper end of the boiler market (is that true?), I told her she might be better off having it changed for a newer one rather than another repair. She said if she did, she'd get her friends son to fit it. I’ve no concerns about his ability but if he did it as a private job, can it all be properly certificated? I'd appreciate your comments. Thanks.

 

[ianmcd]

just fix the boiler, no the BG lad cant properly sign it off for you,doesnt sound like there is a lot wrong with it though

 

[Mottie]

Thanks. Oh, she did say that the hot water was running cold now and again since the boiler had been playing up. I’ll let the BG bloke look at it then and see what he says.

 

[durhamplumber]

True.very very cheap end of the market..Place in the nearest recycling receptacle.

 

[ABC Gas Care]

What I guess as happened because it hit three bar the safty valve kicked in and now muck is under the seal so needs replacing I did similar other day repairing my own boiler touched the 3 bar for reasons wont go into BUT its no no and I replaced as ones they go there gone drip drip drip , but I had one so not problem ,
As I dont know which boiler you have but its good boiler what I suggest is buy a 3 bar , as said dont know your model boiler but 3 Bar Pressure Relief Safety Valve BI1131100 Riva say £10 ebay then look in Manuel or on line get some one to replace it for you . have you filter if not get one fit when he replaces the valve there ok as boilers go I own few trouble free , 3 bar valves go on All boilers and you actually killed it so dont blame biasi and your good to go for say another 5 year get good plumber local the BG contracts made to make money not friends for people who worry .

 

[AGAS]

Isn't you BG man checking the expansion vessels pressure as it doesn't sound like it

 

[Mottie]

He’s coming round in the week as far as I know.

 

[Mottie]

Went round my Mums tonight and heating engineer was already there. She had already decided she didn’t want it fixed again and wanted a new one. Oh well, it’s her money and I suppose that probably would have been my preference too - she's 82 now and said a new boiler would 'see her out'. He took some measurements and is getting back tomorrow with a firm price but he reckons to replace it with either a Vaillant or WB, mag filter, powerflush, new condensate drain - says he suspects the existing one is going into a soak-away at the front of the bungalow and he will re-route it into the drain at the back. Also will tidy up the pipes under the sink - someone had fitted a filling loop and a pressure gauge there (will re-site those in the boiler cupboard) and will fit a guard over the flue and supply and fit a new remote thermostat. All that will come out at around £1,700 and it will be all properly signed off. He said he’d get some other prices for (I think) Ideal and Glo worm boilers and they should be about a couple of hundred quid cheaper. That didn’t seem too bad to me. I suppose they fit ones they are familiar with. At the end of the day it’s him who will be servicing and maintaining it so probably best to go with his suggestion. Turns out he only lives a couple of hundred yards from me anyway so I haven’t got too far to go if there’s any problems.

 

[AGAS]

All that will come out at around £1,700

probably over £2000 with VAT

 

[Mottie]

Cash

 

[HERTS P&D]

Tell him he can have a 'free' MOT every year.



Andy

 

[John D v2.0]

Checked the filing loop is closed properly?

 

[Mottie]

Yes. That was the first thing that checked as she had accidentally knocked the tap on before when putting stuff in the underwing cupboard.

 

[John D v2.0]

Could be letting by even if it looks off

 

[Mottie]

Thanks. I’m pretty sure it isn’t as I checked it wasn’t rising after I had let some water out of the system. It was only after running it for 5 minutes or more that it started going up to 3 bar. Even after I’d released some more pressure it was still dripping outside when the pressure was just above 1 bar. In any case, as per my earlier post, she's having a new boiler fitted and has gone with WB as that’s what the BG guy recommended and she trusts his advice rather than mine. Her choice at the end of the day and with her it’s always rush, rush, rush!